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Acupuncture, diet may help with sleep problems

Dreaming of sleep

By Cindy Sutter

Staff Writer

Posted:
08/10/2016 08:45:16 AM MDT

Updated:
08/10/2016 08:46:55 AM MDT

(Keith Eric Williams / Kansas City Star)

"Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care ..."

Truly, it adds insult to injury at 3 a.m. that a quote from Macbeth should rattle around in the head of someone with a life as mundane as mine. Yet, I lie awake, thinking of work or the state of the world, trying to gauge whether I should lie there longer or take the advice of sleep experts and get up to read. I comfort myself that I'm part of a vast sisterhood of women of a certain age — many friends included — who frequently spend the wee hours with minds whirring. Sometimes I nod off, thinking of my insomniac friends, hoping they are sleeping, as I am not.

As many as 30 to 35 percent of adults report insomnia — difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep — according to the National Sleep Foundation. The problem is more common in adults who are older, in women, in people who are stressed and those with medical issues or problems such as depression.

While some people have problems such as sleep apnea that require medical attention, alternative approaches and changes in lifestyle can be helpful for many.

Joanne Neville, clinical director at Southwest Acupuncture College, in Gunbarrel, says sleep issues are "probably one of our top five ailments people come seeking acupuncture for in our clinic. We treat about 800 patients (total) a month, so that's a lot of people who have sleep issues."

"Auricular (ear) acupuncture is really excellent for resetting the mind," she says. "It helps to calm a person down. We incorporate a lot of that for sleep issues."

Clinicians also assess pain levels, since some people sleep poorly because of pain, as well as problems with anxiety and potential issues with diet. The combination of acupuncture and herbs is tailored to each individual.

"Three people can come in with insomnia and three people may go out with a completely different formula," she says. "We treat what we see."

"This happens via cell phones, computers, TV screens. We're all a bit edgy and agitated," she says. "Our nervous systems can't calm down ... so that we get that restorative, regenerative sleep so necessary for every function in our bodies."

It's not just the electronics, she says. Processed foods with colorings and additives can also stimulate the nervous system. She adds that eating a poor diet and eating irregularly can cause blood sugar spikes that exacerbate sleep problems, which then make blood sugar worse.

For those who may be stuck in this cycle, she advises eating a healthful diet and trying a small snack — three or four bites of something with protein, carbs and fat — before bed to calm your body. Nut butter on crackers is an example.

She also suggests taking the supplement inositol before bedtime, saying it helps with the "mind spin" that prevents some people from sleeping.

"It's as if you've placed a cozy blanket on your nervous system," she says.

Cohen also suggests taking a vitamin B complex in the morning.

James Rouse, a Boulder-based naturopathic doctor, wrote a book about sleep for Rodale Press in 2001. He says the sleep problems he sees among his patients have only worsened since then.

"We're seeing more and more people being challenged with sleep," he says.

Rouse, who has a line of nutritional products called healthy Skoop, is launching a new product aimed squarely at the sleep issue. He was intrigued by research showing that people on a low calorie diet reported better sleep when their diet contained high amounts of protein. Rouse, who already had developed plant-based protein powders that contain adaptogenic herbs, decided to develop a protein product specifically geared toward sleep.

"As people get into their 40s and 50s ... they can't stay asleep," he says. "It's an inability to keep our metabolism alive over a night's sleep."

The product includes 8 grams of plant-based protein, a lower amount than a typical protein product, as well as 6 grams of fiber, B vitamins, the common sleep supplement L-tryptophan and an extract of tart cherries, which is also used to enhance sleep. The 90-calorie powder can be mixed with milk or almond milk.

Rouse, says, however, that taking his product is not a panacea. He suggests incorporating good sleep practices, or sleep hygiene, as sleep doctors call it.

"It has to be in conjunction with a lifestyle practice," he says.

His own practice includes declaring a digital sunset, meaning no screens.

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